Kemalist Enlightenment Association: 'Turkish as the language of instruction is our red line'

The Kemalist Enlightenment Association (KAD) has issued a written statement noting that the debate over "education in the mother tongue" has returned to the agenda following recent statements and developments.  

Underlining that Turkish being the language of instruction is the "guarantee of the nation-state," the Board of Directors of the Kemalist Enlightenment Association cited the provision in the Constitution, recalling the phrase, "No language other than Turkish shall be taught as a mother tongue to Turkish citizens." It was emphasized that this approach protects Turkey's common citizenship denominator and social integrity.

The statement emphasized that citizens of Kurdish origin living in Turkey have their rights to learn, speak, broadcast, and perform art in their mother tongue under legal protection. The association also pointed out that in "developed Western democracies," the language of instruction is generally the official language of the country.

The statement further noted that the imposition of education in the mother tongue continues to occupy the country's agenda as a result of the persistent efforts of an imperialist project and its local pawns, which aim to create alienated masses of people in the same geography and to sever the emotional and intellectual interaction of the Turkish Nation, ultimately aiming for division.

The Kemalist Enlightenment Association argued that the demand for "education in the mother tongue" could increase language-based segregation in society and weaken common emotional-intellectual interaction. Stating that opposing education in the mother tongue is "equivalent to upholding the Atatürk Republic," they expressed that their stance on the matter is clear.

The association invited the public to uphold the principle of "Turkish as the language of instruction," noting that this statement became necessary during this period when the debates have flared up again. The full text of the statement is as follows: 

"Recent events and statements have made it necessary to bring the issue of Education in the Mother Tongue, which we have previously announced, back to the agenda. As stated in Article 44 of our Constitution, 'No language other than Turkish shall be taught as a mother tongue to Turkish citizens.' Turkish as the language of instruction is the guarantee of the Nation-State. 

The rights of our citizens of Kurdish origin living in Turkey to learn, speak, broadcast, and perform art in their own mother tongue are legally guaranteed. In the overwhelming majority of developed Western Democracies, including those with federal status, the language of instruction is the official language of their countries. The imposition of education in the mother tongue continues to occupy the country's agenda as a result of the persistent efforts of an imperialist project and its local pawns, which aim to create alienated masses of people in the same geography and to sever the emotional and intellectual interaction of the Turkish Nation, ultimately aiming for division. Opposing education in the mother tongue is equivalent to upholding the Atatürk Republic."

News Source: 12punto